Kentucky

Check out hbym.com for an update on our Junior High Kentucky missions trip!!!

We are pretty happy together.

He's just not that into you...

Have you seen this movie? Came out a couple of weeks ago. I am not going to advocate seeing it, simply because there were some parts that made me uncomfortable.
I was really excited for this movie to come out. It had a bunch of well known actors and actresses in it. While I won't advocate the movie, I will advocate some of the message. Why is it that we as women are so prone to get into relationships that are bad for us? Why do we justify how men treat us? And then make excuses for it? Why do we settle for less than what we put into a relationship?
The opening scene of the movie is a very young girl who is playing at the playground. There is this little boy who walks to her from across the park. I knew she liked him. I could tell by the music. =) Anyways, he comes over to her- she is kneeling down building a sand castle. He starts to talk to her and then out of no where gives her a big shove right over into the sand! The very next scene is the young girl and her mom. The mom is consoling her young daughter. And she gives her the age old speech..."Honey, he just did that because he has a crush on you... he LIKES you."
And so it begins. Women are trained to think from the beginning that this means he is interested. Well, not by my definition!
I know that women are not innocent. We are great at manipulating to get what we want. But I think this movie had a good message for women to hear. If he isn't calling, texting, writing, coming by, chomping at the bit to see you....He's just not that into you.
I remember reading the book in college. You would think this message would hurt women- but I found that it did just the opposite. It was very freeing for me to move on when I realized "he" -whoever that "he" is - wasn't as interested in me as I was in him...it was easier to walk away. I just typed that it was easy to walk away and then erased it. It is never easy to walk away- just easier when you know there is someone who will love you with the same type of devotion you are willing to give him.
I meet with so many girls who are caught liking a guy who just isn't treating them with the respect they deserve. Girls, have some self dignity and move on. It's okay to let yourself do that. It's okay to wait to be treated well. It's not because we as women deserve it. But God created a healthy way for relationships to develop. He tells us in His Word how to treat each other. Live it. We will all find that life is a little more simple that way.

Long Road

Let me just be vulnerable for a moment. Obedience has never come easy to me. As far back as I can remember, I have always fought a rebellious streak. If you talked to my mom and asked her who was her most difficult child to raise...she would inevitably say me. She always has, always will. You know that book that James Dobson wrote? I think it's called the Strong Willed Child. Yup, my parents lived it with me. When they said to do one thing I did the opposite. When they said not to do something, I loved to challenge back. My personality is prone to rebellion. This has carried over into my relationship with God too. I have a far greater fear for Him than my parents, but I still have to fight my natural tendencies.
We sang a hymn in church this week, a phrase of it was...Prone to wander Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love. I could sing this honestly and mean it this week.
Three years ago, God asked me to be obedient and apply for graduate school. I hesitated, but then did it. I got in to the school and have been working at this thing since 2007. I know that God called me to be obedient in this area, and for the most part I have been willing to follow.
But it is really hard right now. This semester has me taking Tuesday night and Wednesday morning classes. Because of this, I stay overnight at my parents best friend's house. I love being at their house. (we painted our nails last night and gossipped all about the Bachelor) But to be honest, I feel like I loose two days of my life every week for this Masters. I talked to my mom on the way in to school yesterday. I was really fighting an urge to quit. I wanted to give up so bad. I talked to Jason after class and I actually cried about it. It's really hard to spend two days in there. It's not fun to sit in class for two days in a row when there is so much at home I am missing out on. It is not easy. Obedience is not coming easy to me right now.
I know I heard God ask me to get this masters- but it can be difficult when you are working so hard at something and the end result seems so far off. It's also hard when I haven't directly heard God in what He would have me to do with this thing yet. So it's like I am trudging along with no real clear direction yet.
But, knowing God, that's not far off. I have nine more credits...which doesn't seem like a whole lot- but they will be spread out over the course of the next two semesters. I had to make a choice last night. I chose to be obedient- even when I can't fully see where God is leading me. I know He has great plans for my life. He promises it in Jeremiah. So, if I can just stay steadfast a while longer, He will reveal His purpose and how I can use it for His glory. In fact, come to think of it, His purpose for it may just be to see if I would submit to His direction.

A mouse in my house

If I had my way, I would deep clean my apartment at least once a week. I am talking- on my hands and knees, scrub till your fingers bleed- kind of clean. I am getting my masters in counseling right now, but I am convinced if everyone spent a little time cleaning each week, their problems would disappear. It's like therapy to me. Anyways, last Saturday I was in my cleaning mode when I opened up the drawer that holds our oven mitts. That's strange...they are all frawed and chewed up...wait...what is that??? NO. That has to be really black, long grain rice...Right?? Nope, we have a mouse in our house. Mouse poop. Gross.
It wasn't so much the poop that grossed me out...but the thought that this little, pink tailed creature could be anywhere in my apartment at that moment. I was no longer home alone...It was me and a mouse.
I didn't have time to deal with it that day. I was going to see Rascal Flatts in Madison...No time to deal with rodents. Although I did stress about it for the whole hour home...What if it made it's home in my bed?
After small groups on Sunday I decided to put my adult pants on and go get myself a mouse trap. I was praying the whole way to Wal mart that #1. they sold them. #2. They sold mouse traps that had secret compartments where I didn't have to see the dead thing.
I walked into Wal mart- went to the part of the store I thought they might be in. No luck. I went to the pet section (didn't really fit the state of affairs- but I knew it had stuff for animals) I couldn't even look at the stuffed mice for cats to play with. Too traumatizing.
So after about 10 minutes of wandering, I asked a lady that worked there where I could find them...Maam, you will find those in grocery Aisle 13....She just knew that right away. You mean to tell me that enough people have this problem that you knew that aisle off the top of your head!!!??? Oh c'mon.
Well, I made my way over there...grabbed a mouse trap that did have a secret compartment (Notice my prayers were answered =) And made my way to the check out. The scanner lady took my mouse trap and starting reading the box out loud to me. Lady...can't you see this is hard enough on me?? Then she went on to give me a lesson in mice psychology. She said that mice mate for life...kind of like deers or humans, she said. Are you kidding me??? I don't want a lesson here. Just give me the mouse trap and let's get on with it. After I walked to my car, I almost went back in and asked her to come deal with my little problem since she knew so much about mice. Maybe she could get in my little rodent's head.
Well, Rose and I set the trap as soon as I got home. We put it under the sink. She has checked first thing every day to see if we have anything...I haven't stepped into the kitchen since. Yesterday we were getting ready for work and talking about it. I said to her...Isn't it good to know that it's not just chilling in our house since we haven't caught it yet? Then we heard it go off...when we opened the cabinet... there was nothing there. Boo.
This morning, first thing, she checked. She saw a tail. I put my adult pants back on, opened the cabinet, let out a little shriek, bagged it and took it straight to the curb. Mission Accomplished.

The Gift

Here's a little follow up from the last blog...On Friday night, Jason asked me if he could take me out on Monday. That was the official 6 month day. He told me he had a little something planned- of course I was excited. I am such a planner- so anything that is planned for me, I get really excited about.
We were at my parent's house on Sunday for the Super bowl (which by the way was a great game.) I really didn't even know who was in it until that day, but regardless, it was fun to watch. I had heard Kurt Warner was a Christian, so before the game, I looked up his website online to get the inside scoop. I made kind of an emotional-last minute-decision to cheer for Arizona because of it. Jason thinks I am weird. He tried to convince me there are probably Christians on the Steelers too. Oh yeah...well not any out spoken ones. (At least that I know of.) I didn't have time to get biographies on all their players...the game was about to start. I am lucky he still dates me. =) He also choose to go for the Cardinals, simply because they were the underdog. A lot less processing went into his decision then mine. Regardless of who he was cheering for, he wore his Chicago Bears t-shirt. By the way, I thought the Cardinals were a baseball team...
Anyways, all that to say, we starting talking about Monday's date during the Super Bowl and I realized it kind of conflicted with something. My mom and I religiously watch the Bachelor together. Have since I graduated college. It's getting near the end of the season now- a crucial point to miss an episode. Of course he knows about this- thinks we are a little crazy (but who isn't! ) Jason coaches basketball and had a couple of games he had to be at until after seven. This is how much my man likes me. He realized it without me even needing to say anything... our dinner date was going to conflict with The Bachelor. He was so great about it. He laughed at me and said we could push the date back til Friday. Is he a great guy or what?
I stopped by one of his games- I am fighting a crazy cold for the third time already this year- so I didn't have much energy to stay long. But it was fun to watch him coach. Then he stopped by my parents last night when he was done coaching. He made me a gift...the sweetest thing anyone has given me. Since our very first date, he has been recording everything we have done together and how he has been processing it all. I mean he went home after every date and wrote it down...He made me a book filled with a journal of our relationship so far. I nearly fell over. I mean who thinks to do that!! I read through it last night. Oh my gosh. I am not going to share any entries- far too gushy for everyone to read...but let me just tell you...it was by far the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me. Period.

6 months of bliss

I just flipped my calendar and my man had written on the 2nd of February...6 months of bliss with Jason. I laughed out loud. I haven't said much about my relationship on here...mostly because I am kind of a private person when it comes to that sort of thing. But, since Jason is such an important part of my life, I figured it was time to acknowledge it.
Jason and I have known each other our whole lives- not well- but known of each other. When we were kids, his backyard backed up to my parent's best friend's backyard. So I always grew up hearing about him. In high school, I went to prom with his best friend, so we were in the same group. They were a year older and went to a different Christian school. My family found the video of that night...it's hilarious to watch it now. We still look the same. Kept walking past each other too...I was always attracted to him. We even went out a couple of times after he graduated high school. But, he left for college so nothing serious came from it.
The woman, whose house backed up to his, started working on him after college. She kept asking if he wanted my number... and when he was going to ask me out. Granted, we hadn't seen each other in about five years. He eventually (after 3+ years) caved and contacted me. It had been eight years since we had seen each other. (although once when I was coaching, I saw him from a distance at a basketball tournament)
I love dating him. I tell people that all the time. He is easy to date-probably because he has such a laid back personality- it's a great compliment to my ultra high strung one. But beyond that, he genuinely cares for me and will go out of his way to show it. We have the kind of relationship I have always wanted. Last night, I was ornery with him about something (imagine that) and he looked at me and said, "Erin, you know I am on your side, right?" Diffused the situation right there. He can handle me. And he does it with honor. He is so kind towards me. My friend Melissa told me that in her marriage kindness goes a long way. Let me tell you...I can see that being true. Over New years, we were on a trip with his family. I observed their family all week and I told his mom on the way home the one thing that stood out most to me. The men in their family adore their women. They are genuinely kind and affectionate towards them. It was awesome to see. I have experienced that with Jason. We can be completely open with each other- and still accept each other-flaws and all. I will try and post some pictures soon.